Monday, January 5, 2009

Saving Handmade...

Today is the last day in get in your comments to the CPSC regarding the new mandatory testing for all items made for kids under 12 that is going into effect in 35 days. I know there aren't that many people out there beating down my blog's door, but for the two people out there that might be following this, please take a moment to help.

There is a ton of info out there on this but in a nutshell— in response to freaky happenings regarding toy safety in the last year, the CPSP has written up a crazy-rigid testing procedure that will pretty much wipe out handmade toys and items for kids under 12. Not to be dramatic, but it's true. All items for sale, handmade or not, would have to be tested by a 3rd party and it would be so cost prohibitive that handmade items would perish and so would the shops that carry handmade items for sale. For example, if I sewed up some super cute little bibs I couldn't sell them without paying a third party thousands of dollars to test them. I couldn't sell them on Ebay, Etsy, I couldn't make a cap, bag or bootie.

So what can you do? This site has a ton of information, including online petitions, documents to send to senators, letters, logos and the like. It fully explains the restrictions and proposed changes to the wording of the CPSC act to make it handmade friendly. Check it out. This site also is well organized and has a lot of useful links. If you feel so inclined, please, please, please get in your comments and online petitions today and hopefully this won't go into effect the way it is written now, which would totally suck. Thank you!